Astragalus clevelandii
Cleveland's milkvetch, Cleveland's milk-vetch, Cleveland's milk-vetch
(c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Fabaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.3
Astragalus clevelandii (Cleveland's milkvetch) is a native California herb in the Fabaceae family, recognized by distinctive robust bushy habit and serpentine habitat.
Cleveland's milkvetch is a California native perennial found in the northern Coast Ranges in moist serpentine areas at elevations of 100 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces white or cream-colored flowers in dense spike-like clusters with 20 to 100 reflexed blossoms. Growing with robust, bushy stems 30 to 100 centimeters tall that are entirely glabrous, it forms a leafy, erect plant. Its compound leaves feature 13 to 27 elliptic to oblanceolate leaflets, each 3 to 23 millimeters long, with nearly smooth upper surfaces and sparsely fine-hairy undersides. The distinctive reflexed fruit is stiff-papery, half-ovate, three-sided, and 4.5 to 7 millimeters long with raised upper sutures.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 9 sympatric species; distinctive robust bushy habit and serpentine habitat
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist serpentine areas
Elevation: 100-1500 m
California counties: Mendocino, Tehama, Napa, Lake, Colusa, San Benito, Sonoma, Yolo, Glenn
Bloom period
Astragalus clevelandii blooms Jun-Sep.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.3
How to tell it apart
vs Vicia: Astragalus has racemes of flowers; vetches (Vicia) have tendrils at leaf tips and climbing or sprawling habit.; vs Oxytropis: Astragalus keel tip is rounded to slightly pointed; Oxytropis keel has a pronounced pointed beak.; vs Cleomella: Astragalus has pea-shaped flowers; Cleomella has 4-petaled cruciform flowers with long stamens.; vs Lupinus: Astragalus has pinnate compound leaves; lupines have palmate leaves (leaflets radiating from one point).; vs Dalea: Astragalus has typical pea flowers; Dalea has tiny flowers with petals attached to the stamen tube.
Frequently asked questions
Is Astragalus clevelandii native to California?
Yes. Astragalus clevelandii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Astragalus clevelandii bloom?
Astragalus clevelandii blooms Jun-Sep.
Where in California does Astragalus clevelandii grow?
Astragalus clevelandii occurs in Mendocino, Tehama, Napa, Lake, Colusa, San Benito, Sonoma, Yolo and other counties, at elevations of 100-1500 m.
What plant family does Astragalus clevelandii belong to?
Astragalus clevelandii is in the Fabaceae family, genus Astragalus.
Is Astragalus clevelandii rare or endangered?
Astragalus clevelandii carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.3, state rank S4.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.